It had been hours before he could finally move away from the hallway, holding the album as if it were a newborn foal. His breakfast still stood on the table, but he only took his medicine. There was no future for him here in the capital— just loneliness and regret. He needed to leave, get a fresh start in his new life. One day he would return and mend his relationships, but now was too soon, the wounds too fresh.
He put the folder gently away and began rummaging through the newspaper, searching for the real estate section. It was there he found it: a house for sale in the town of Ponyville, where his son and grandfoals lived.
It would be the perfect place for him to retire, a lovely, peaceful home in the countryside close to family. He had never really gotten along with his lanky son, or his pudgy daughter-in-law for that matter, but this would be a fresh start. They had often complained that they had trouble finding someone to babysit the kids—it was perfect. He had so many stories to tell his grandfoals, like the time he had wrestled with a changeling during the invasion, or that one time Princess Luna had given him a peck on the cheek.
Marble Cake smiled, limping his way out of the apartment.
Things were finally going to be alright.